Stargate Atlantis: Cat's Cradle
by the morrighan
Summary: This is the second half of my version of a season six. This is the first story.
1. Chapter 1

Stargate Atlantis: Cat's Cradle

"John! John!"

John Sheppard was running. He was always running from one crisis to another, saving the galaxy one way or another. He ignored the summons, shunting off the woman's voice as it penetrated his hearing from his earpiece. He ran. He was jogging through the upper levels of the city. His heavy footfalls echoed loudly, clanging on the metal grids as he worked off energy, frustration and ire and a hundred other tangled emotions to which he couldn't put a name, or wouldn't.

Reaching a dead end he turned, headed back the other way. Sunlight and shadow striped his progress as he hammered the metal grids with his feet. He followed a curvaceous path along the more isolated parts of the city; parts that few even knew existed. He enjoyed the solitude, the quiet. He enjoyed being alone and not at the beck and call of everyone for a change. He descended level by level, choosing the disused back hallways and stairs, eschewing the transporters and more populated areas.

John scowled, stopping as he found himself in the lower levels now. His steps were inevitably heading for the bio labs like they always did, even without being aware. He stood, hands on his hips, catching his breath. Sweat was a slick sheen on his skin, trickling under his gray t-shirt and gray sweatpants. He wiped his brow.

There was no need to go to the bio lab. Not any more, anyway. His sounding board was gone. Moira O'Meara was off world, had been on another planet for a nearly a month now engaged in some scientific expedition. Woolsey had insisted that the science teams should resume their missions. There had been no further movement by the fuglies, no further advances but John knew it was only a matter of time. Reluctantly he had agreed to allowing the science teams out a short leash, a very short leash.

It was time to reel them in, however.

All of them.

"John! John!"

He sighed, cursing, and tapped his earpiece. "What?" he snapped, not caring how he sounded. The city seemed to sense his mood as he lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat off his scruffy face. A breeze wafted out of nowhere, cooling his skin and drying the sweat that sparkled on his body hair. "Thanks," he mumbled, dropping his shirt to look round the deserted hallway. He strained to listen. He could almost hear a voice, a soft voice trying to speak but instead the voice from his earpiece interrupted again.

"John? Sorry, I was just wondering where you were."

John inwardly grimaced. "Sorry, Ann," he apologized. "Oh…the debrief, right?" He had forgotten all about the meeting. He glanced at his watch. A cool breeze fluttered his messy hair, cooling his brow as he leaned against a wall.

"Yes, the debrief. You've got ten minutes."

"Crap. Thanks, Ann. On my way. Sheppard out." He tapped the earpiece, eying the bio lab. He licked his lips, wondering if it was still stocked with beer. He turned and began to jog, making his way back to the central hub of the city.

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

Ann Teldy smiled, turning as she tapped her earpiece. The expression on her lovely face was apologetic as she eyed the people watching her. "Sorry. He's on his way." She took her seat at the table, blue eyes regarding the data pad in front of her. Her blond hair was tied back into an efficient bun, her Atlantis BDUs spotless as always.

"He's always late. It never fails," Rodney McKay noted with a sigh. He fiddled with his own data pad, impatient. He began to drum his fingers on the table but a look from Teyla Emmagan stilled him.

Teyla smiled, amused. She glanced round the room, having no problem with the delay. It gave her more time to enjoy some adult conversation for a change, not that she would ever regret a second spent in her son Torren's company. Still, it was nice to speak to other adults for a change, and she knew that her son was in the very capable hands of his father Kanaan.

Richard Woolsey was busy reading a report, adjusting his glasses. He was used to waiting for the military commander and it didn't trouble him. This was only a meeting, after all, not some new crisis that needed a quick and effective solution. He glanced at Alan Simmons as the man was going over his own report, brows furrowed. The head of biology clearly did not like to be kept waiting, but there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Richard smiled at that.

Rodney sighed loudly, scooting back in his chair. "Well, does anyone have anything to eat?"

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

John stood in the shower, head bent backwards as the warm water doused him. It felt good, invigorating after his run through the city, cleansing him of sweat and grime and allowing him to regain his calm composure to focus on matters at hand. He quickly finished and stepped out to grab a towel, grab some clean clothes and take a few minutes to fix his hair before he sprinted out of his quarters to the conference room.

He wished he had had time to grab a beer, but the water bottle was good enough for now.

John entered the conference room and slid into a chair, ignoring the admonishing glances of his friends.

"As I was saying," Richard resumed, glancing at the tardy military commander, "we still don't know enough about these things, these creatures out there. We only know—"

"The fuglies, you mean," John interjected, glancing at the data pad. He touched a key and brought up a different report. "The Homo erectus," he clarified.

"The as yet unidentified possibly human species," Alan corrected with a sniff. "As of yet we haven't been able to conclusively identify the species or even verify that they are human. As I have stated in my report, the—"

"O'Meara did." John's voice was mild as he met the biologist's gaze across the table. Yet there was a weird underlying tension that he couldn't explain.

"Doctor O'Meara's findings, however intriguing are only suppositions at best. We don't have enough evidence to support her theories. The tissue samples have been degraded and what footage there is has been compromised by the—"

"I have everything right here." John tapped his data pad which contained Moira's full report, everything she had discovered about the new species including a startling simulation of their possible evolution. "Besides, isn't that what you scientists do? You decide and debate from observations and the slimmest of evidence to build a working theory and support that theory until proven otherwise. Doctor O'Meara's evidence and proof were pretty damn convincing to me and for now we will act upon her theories about the fuglies until she is proven wrong. I have her complete report and for now this is the one we will utilize in its entirety!"

Everyone was staring and John suddenly realized he was standing, hands on the table, palms planted to either side of the data pad as he glowered at Alan with a fierce intensity. He straightened, retook his seat, sliding his hands off the table to rest on his thighs. "I'm just saying…" he backpedaled, having no idea why he had become so impassioned about defending the absent evolutionary biologist.

"In any event," Richard resumed, "it's about time we did learn more about them. More importantly we need to know what they want and what they are doing here."

"Besides blowing up planets?" Rodney quipped. "I'm just saying…" he echoed his friend.

John didn't smirk. He sat forward, hands now clasped together in front of the data pad where the report was displayed. One of his feet was tapping, tapping on the floor to a beat only he could hear. "You're right. We need to be more proactive and gather more intel."

"Are you suggesting we go out there and introduce ourselves?" Rodney asked, appalled.

"That's exactly what I am suggesting," John concurred. "These things are human and they are capable of language. A language that we probably cannot even begin to understand or evaluate," he postulated, ignoring the glare from Alan.

"Then how would we speak with them?" Teyla asked, puzzled.

"By using the universal language," John said, about to continue when Rodney intervened.

"Mathematics! Of course! Like the Arecibo message! It was broadcast through frequency modulated radio waves compromised of 1679 binary digits but now with our advanced technology we could send even more in a controlled data burst across vaster distances and reduce the binary code to a much more succinct…" He snapped his fingers several times. "We could relay the simplest of greetings without revealing our location, setting up a remote site to send and receive and—"

"That won't work!" Alan interjected.

"What? Of course it will work!" Rodney declared, affronted.

"I mean it won't work because these creatures, whatever they may be are simply not capable of speech as we understand it."

"They are capable of it. Plus, if you hadn't noticed they do have technology that surpasses ours. Did you notice their big honking spaceships? Did you notice their neural implants?" John challenged.

Alan appeared unfazed by the attack. "We don't know if they are capable of speech, of even any kind of approximation of speech like we—"

John glanced at the data pad. "They are, as they have the FOXP2 gene as do all human species and with the two amino acid differences that led to speech in our species as opposed to non-speech in other mammals it is a logical assumption to make that they are, in fact, capable of speech. Just not as we might know it." He glanced at the report again, looked up to see everyone staring at him. "What?"

"While I can't fault your science, colonel, we don't know if those two amino acid differences do exist in that particular gene in this particular species as we don't have enough of a DNA sequence to fully examine the Broca area of the brain to see if the—"

"We can safely assume that it does and we can because they are a species of human. Since this particular gene has been found in other human species such as the Neanderthal why wouldn't it be found in the Homo erectus out here, especially as they have clearly evolved to our level and even beyond?"

"Those are suppositions that cannot be supported by—"

"They have been and they will be, so why don't you get over your own hubris and help us to contact them!" John snapped.

"Colonel!" Richard intervened before Alan could reply. The biologist was sputtering with rage. "We need to examine every aspect of these creatures, including the possibility of speech and contacting them by whatever means if a safe way can be found. I am certain that Doctor Simmons will assist us in every way that he can. Meanwhile we can keep going on missions and try to learn more about the—"

"We do need to send teams, but military ones," John interrupted, his gaze moving off the biologist at last. "We can't rely on our supposed allies or the Coalition or even the Wraith, for that matter."

"And that's why I insisted on the science teams being allowed to engage in extended missions. They will garner more information than the military teams, colonel. We must be seen as friends, not as a threat."

"I disagree. We should be seen as a threat."

"Um, can't you attract more flies with honey than vinegar?" Rodney suggested. "He's got a point, John. The marines can be quite intimidating to the more agrarian communities out here, while scientists are welcomed everywhere." He glanced at Teyla. She was staring, puzzling over the Earth phrase. "I'll explain it later," Rodney offered.

The city lights briefly flickered as if feeling John's displeasure and agreeing with him, a quick staccato of light and darkness. John shut the data pad, his lips pursed together as a palpable wave of anger came and went.

"If we could contact Earth, or even receive word from the Daedalus we would be in a stronger position," Ann suggested. Her gaze was locked on John.

"Yes, but we don't have the power to dial Earth and so far the Daedalus is out of range," Rodney said with a shrug.

"As is that other ship that is shadowing it," John noted dourly.

"If we had a few more ZPMs we could try another dialing sequence. Got any?" Rodney asked.

"If that's what it takes," John muttered, "then we will just go get some."


	2. Chapter 2

Stargate Atlantis: Cat's Cradle2

John sat in the bio lab. He found it easier to work here, undisturbed, tucked away in the back at Moira's work station. He found it more conducive to interact with the city when no one was watching him, although he wouldn't have minded if Moira had been watching. She had an inkling of his connection with the city, and she could probably explain it better than he could.

He sighed, accessing the computer. At his touch the machine flared to life, was instantly responsive. He barely had to type in commands. He just thought the data he required and it scrolled on the screen. It was very similar to the way he communed with the Jumper, but on a much larger and a much more powerful scale. His gaze scanned star charts, planetary alignments. He pulled up Rodney's map of the galaxy with the Stargate network. John's search parameters were simple, really.

He needed a map of the planets which had Ancient cities.

He knew there were several cities much like Atlantis, if not identical to the mother city. Over the years he had encountered a few of them—derelict remains of former glorious cities run by the Ancients, but now they were abandoned and had fallen into disuse and neglect. The knowledge of how to operate them had been lost over the tens of thousands of years, as had the ATA bloodline and the energy to run them. The indigenous populations only had scraps of knowledge, if even that, and worshipped the Ancients as if they had been gods and treated their cities as holy temples or seats of power.

They had no idea how to truly access that power. But John did.

He frowned, searching, but only the cities they had discovered over the years were emerging. "Come on, baby, I need more than that. I know there are more out there," he complained, fingers stroking the keyboard as he opened another window and extended his search through the Ancient records. He knew that those other cities might contain the power they needed to defend Atlantis. Those other cities might contain Drones or Ancient Chairs or even ZPMs that were not depleted.

He scowled, reaching for the beer he had brought with him. He sipped it, trying to think strategically. He overlaid the Stargate network over the planets and the known cities they had discovered through the years, trying to see some sort of pattern of settlement. He licked his lips, set the beer bottle aside and touched the console again. It softly hummed. John's gaze narrowed as he stared at the monitor. "Come on, baby…give it to me. I need those other cities to defend you, only you, I swear. Show me where they are. Show me an untouched city and I will bring her here to defend you, and only you."

His lips quirked. It was like wooing a woman, which in his experience was fairly easy. The wooing of a city, of a semi-sentient city was proving to be more difficult. He wondered if he should be in the Ancient Chair, but that would draw too much attention and result in too many questions he didn't want to answer. Or couldn't. He closed his eyes a moment, forcing himself to relax. The lights fluttered around him. The room was plunged into darkness except for a bluish glow that bathed him in a circle of illumination. He opened one eye.

The monitor stubbornly appeared exactly the same, yielding nothing new.

John opened his other eye. "Come on, baby. Give it to me. I need it. I need it to keep you safe. I need an untouched city I can access and fly here…or at least salvage for parts, but I think I can do that elsewhere. We need serious back-up against this new enemy. It's all for you, baby, I swear…give it to me," he argued, feeling slightly ridiculous talking out loud to the city but feeling the need to do so nonetheless.

A whisper breathed into his ear, along his mind. The city knew. The city could tell him where to go and what to look for, because of course she knew the location of every sister city. She knew the locations of all of her sisters, and had felt their deaths one by one over the thousands of years of dormancy. She knew which had fallen, and which were merely dormant. It was very closely guarded information, encrypted and hidden behind failsafe after failsafe, nearly buried in mounds of data in order to protect it at all costs. Only an Ancient could access it.

John Sheppard was not an Ancient, however strong his ATA gene was.

John ran his fingers along the console, closing his eyes again, as if he was stroking the back of a woman. He argued with logic, concise information about what he needed, promising to use the knowledge only to defend Atlantis and to keep her safe at all costs. Yes, he wasn't an Ancient but he did have the strongest ATA that the city had encountered in thousands of years. He had even flown the city between galaxies. He would do anything to keep her safe, to keep her functional and strong and together they would eliminate every threat to this galaxy one by one. Together they would face every obstacle and overcome it because unlike the Ancients he would never leave her. John Sheppard was here to stay.

It took concentration and quick thinking at the same time. A pattern was beginning to emerge, as John opened his eyes to see the screen had subtly changed, as if reluctant. There were a few planets highlighted, revealing a perimeter grid through the galaxy. Not every planet had a Stargate and not every planet had a sister city to Atlantis. But those that did were forming a pattern, a web that John's military mind could follow and fill in the blanks. He concentrated, fingers playing on the keyboard now, eliminating those cities they had already discovered, eliminating those that were inaccessible. He honed in on what he needed, what he wanted as his mind locked into that strange interface between man and machine.

The ATA was a bridge between them but now there was more. There was so much more.

John found it easier to try to picture the city as woman with whom he could converse, argue, woo and order if need be. He pictured the personification of the city as a woman, ethereal and ill-defined yet oddly familiar. The details were hazy and a dazzling light blocked his inner eye from discovering any discernible features. It reminded him of some old Irish story, a myth about a king having to woo the Sovereignty of Eire in order to gain his kingship. He couldn't remember the details. Moira would know. She would understand.

He started, hands flying off the keyboard. A chill shivered up his back, up his neck, and for a split second he could have sworn he felt the caress of a woman's fingers run through his hair. At the same time he heard a sound, a voice that wasn't quite a voice. A voice trying to say his name but it sounded more like a noise than a word, as if the speaker didn't know how to say his name or even how to speak at all.

"_JO—H—NN,_" it whispered hoarsely, softly from nowhere, from everywhere.

John felt goose bumps on his arms. He whirled, moving to his feet but he was alone, quite alone, standing in a circle of blue light while all around him was darkness, utter darkness. His heart was racing and he forced himself to calm down. He almost expected to see a ghost. He swallowed past a suddenly dry throat. "Um…hey. I…you…" He turned back to the monitor and stared.

Several planets were highlighted for him. Colors swirling on the screen, their addresses displayed. He sat in the chair, pulling it up to the desk and began to quickly type. "Okay, baby, here we go. Give me what you got. I want it all. All. And no one will see this…except maybe for Rodney, okay? You know what I need, what I want…give it to me….just give it to me. Give it to me now!" His voice was low, husky, and his body was beginning to respond if in fact he was wooing a woman and not a city. He shifted in the chair, ignoring the completely inappropriate reactions although he did wonder what Rodney would make of it, or even Carson.

He was sure that Moira would find it hilarious.

And suddenly there it was. There was one planet on the grid, highlighted in purple, with an active Stargate. A planet they hadn't yet visited as it was off the main pattern of planets that encompassed their mission rosters. He saved the information, downloading it all to his data pad and locking it with a password. He stared, smiled. "Thanks, baby. You can trust me. You can trust me. That's a good girl now."

He sat back as the system powered down and the screen went blank. Suddenly he was drained, utterly drained, and at least his pants weren't tenting any longer. He snorted in amusement, wiping his brow, surprised to find a thin sheen on sweat on his skin. He grabbed the beer bottle but it was empty. He tipped it up, sucking out the last few precious drops of the amber liquid, tongue extending to grab them.

"_J—OH—NNN._"

The empty bottle dropped from John's grasp, shattering into pieces. He leapt to his feet, fatigue forgotten as he whirled. His hand slid to his gun. He caught a glimpse in the blink of an eye of a figure clothed in light, humanoid and beckoning. In the next blink it was gone.

Pain flared.

John groaned, falling to his knees, crushing the broken pieces of glass under his knees as he pressed his hands to his temples. A headache was roaring in his skull, pulsing pain that made his eyes water and he hunched, buckling under the violent assault. It felt as if it was going to tear his skull apart and he fell forward, scrunching the glass under him and scratching the skin under one eye. Blood burbled down his cheek but he didn't notice as the pain was assaulting him, reprimanding him, threatening him all at once and he could only writhe on the floor, unable to form any coherent thought.

Then it was gone.

John blinked back tears, catching his breath. He rolled onto his back, feeling the glass under him. He gingerly freed his head as a dull ache remained, as if to remind him of the consequences of disobeying or disappointing the city. He stared up at the ceiling, wiping the blood off his cheek.

Despite his strong ATA he wasn't master of the city. Yet.

He sat, brushing glass off his clothing, wincing at the tiny shards that pricked him. He moved to his feet, staring round but the room had returned to normal. The lights were normal. The sounds were normal. He snatched his data pad off the console and eyed the broken glass, knowing he should sweep it up before someone stepped on it. Instead he wiped at the cut under his eye again as blood was slowly seeping in a crimson line down his face. An expletive came and went.

He looked at the work station, regaining his composure. There was a little plush mammoth on the desk and he knew it could only belong to Moira. He stared at it until his heartbeat returned to normal, until his breathing was regular. He left the bio lab with quick, quick strides. He didn't look behind him.

He didn't see the flare of power that briefly illuminated the screen.

He didn't see the woman's face staring out of the monitor at him.

He didn't see her ghostly smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Stargate Atlantis: Cat's Cradle3

"Och! Hold still, would you? And how did you do this again?" Carson Beckett was agitated but his hands were steady as he carefully applied the tape across the minor laceration under John's eye. John tried to keep still, never an easy thing for him, particularly in the medical bay. He sat on a bed, legs over the edge and his feet firmly planted on the floor.

"Like I said, it was an accident. I dropped a bottle and then fell on the pieces. That headache…it came out of nowhere and it really nailed me. I need some pills for that, by the way."

"All in good time. This headache…what precipitated it?"

"I told you! It came out of nowhere." John sighed, flinching slightly as the antiseptic stung under the tape. "I was doing some work in the data base. Um, Carson…has anything like that happened to you, while you working with the Ancient files?"

Carson frowned, stepping back only to shine a penlight into each of John's eyes. "No. Things are actually easier for me to access. You think it's because of the closer connection we now have to the city and I have to agree. I just can't explain it. There." He slid the penlight into the pocket of his white lab coat. "You don't have a concussion and all the scans are clear. I'll get you some meds for the headache."

"Thanks, Carson. And something stronger than aspirin, okay?" He watched the doctor cross to a cabinet and look through the assortment of medications. John gingerly touched the bandage.

"Don't pick at it!"

John snorted, sheepishly dropping his hand to his lap. He glanced round but they were quite alone. At this hour the infirmary was deserted. "Have you, have you noticed anything else, besides being able to access systems more easily?"

Carson returned to him, blue eyes assessing. "No. Should I? What aren't you telling me, John? Has something else happened? How often are you having these headaches?"

"This was the first time, and hopefully the last. Pills?" He held out his hand.

Carson replied, ignoring the request, "have you had any other physical symptoms or reactions? When you connect with the city what exactly happens to you, John?"

John felt himself squirming. "Nothing. This was the first and last time, I'm sure of it. I was accessing some encrypted information, that's all. Pills?"

"No, that's not all, John. If your connection to the city is somehow having a deleterious effect on your physical well-being I need to know about it. If this becomes a problem I could devise an inhibitor to control your ATA gene and give you a barrier between yourself and the—"

"No! I mean, no, I'm fine, Carson, really. It was just a stupid accident." He moved to his feet, as if his height could intimidate the doctor. "Pills?"

"All right, but I want you back here first thing tomorrow morning for a full scan, just to be on the safe side. And if this kind of thing happens again you will see me immediately."

"Pills?"

Carson handed him the vial. "Tylenol with codeine. Take two and see me in the morning."

"Thanks, doc." John began to stroll out of the infirmary.

"And no alcohol, mind!" he chastised at the retreating form of the military commander. He sighed, shaking his head. He moved to his desk and sat, eying the scans he had taken. He turned to the console and touched the keyboard. It flared to life, instantly accessible. "Now, my lady, let's just see what you have on this ATA gene," he said quietly.

Carson had his own connection to the city, and his own way to woo her.

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

Rodney was hunched over two monitors, feverishly working. His fingers flew over one keyboard, then the next, as he sat between the two computers like some madman in a laboratory. He consulted a data pad, began a new computation containing short data bursts in a sequential binary system streamlined through an encryption firewall and other safeguards.

It was math at its most intricate and delicate, and Rodney loved every minute of it.

John strolled into the physics lab, towards his busy friend. "Rodney, where are—" The physicist held up a hand, then pointed to a screen. John followed the finger and moved to the monitor. Two blips were on it, flickering intermittently. One was red, one blue. They were running a nearly parallel course in a sea of darkness. Their distance was charted in light years.

"Still too far away to receive a signal or to definitively identify them, but one is the Daedalus. The other is unknown."

"Ah." He stepped round to where Rodney was working. The screens were full of binary code and algorithms that threatened to renew John's headache. "This?"

"Your message. It's not as detailed as the Arecibo message, of course, just a basic greeting with no information about us or Atlantis or our location. Merely a greeting but it is incredibly complicated given the parameters of the code and the encryption and the distances this will have to travel on a subspace frequency." He paused, glancing up to see John looking at the screen. "Well? No comment?"

"Nope. I know you won't reveal too much."

"Of course I wouldn't! I know we are contacting an unknown species, possibly even an overtly hostile one and I wouldn't risk my neck not to mention everyone else's and I…oh. Wow. You feeling okay, John?" The lack of sarcasm was worrying.

"Yeah."

Rodney frowned, staring. "What happened to your face?"

"Bar brawl. When will this be finished?"

"In an hour or two. Are you sure about this, John? Are you sure about trying to contact them at all? And what if they don't have a language? Simmons was quite adamant about them not having the capability for language as we understand it and this could be a waste of…okay, okay, I'm just saying he was pretty certain and he is the head of biology," Rodney backpedaled at John's steady stare.

"He doesn't know everything. Like most scientists he can't see past his own ego and he won't brook any opposition to his precious theories."

"Well, that's only to be expected and hey! Was that directed at me?"

"Does the shoe fit?"

"Ha ha. Anyway, this will be done in an hour or two. Do you want it directed towards that ship running next to the Daedalus or—"

"No. Send it into outer space, towards the other fuglies. Wherever the Wraith aren't that's where the fuglies are. And make damn sure it can't be traced back here to Atlantis. We don't want them to have a road map to our front door."

"I know that! Didn't I just say that? Aren't you paying attention? What happened to your face?"

"Enough with the questions! Just get it done, all right? I'm going to bed."

"Of course I'll get it done! Don't I always get things done? What's wrong with you, John? John? John!"

John ignored his friend as he exited the lab and headed across the city to his quarters. His brisk strides took him quickly along the hallways, away from transporters. Lights flickered, brightening as he passed as if to light his way. He held the vial of pills in one hand, thumb running over the lid.

"John? John, where have you…oh…what happened to you, honey?" Ann caught up to him, catching his arm to stop him. She stared at his face, concern in her blue eyes.

"Just a stupid accident. I'm fine, Ann, don't fuss." He drew away from her touch as she raised her hand towards his face. "I've got a headache and I just wanna go to bed."

"All right, John." She freed his arm and they began to stroll down the hallway. "If you say so." Her tone was dubious.

"I do say so. Have you read through the mission rosters?"

"Yes. I'm curious, however. The choice of planets seems to be random. I mean some we have visited before, and others will be new to us, but they are all in reasonably close proximity to Atlantis. I thought you wanted us to go out farther into the galaxy to gather intel."

"I do, but first we need to cover closer ground. As much as I hate to admit it Woolsey had a point about the science teams being more welcomed than the military ones. I still don't like the civilian teams being so far out there, however, for extended periods of time."

"At least you two agree on a few things." Ann waited until they had entered his quarters. "Lately you two have been clashing more and more. I don't think the general populace has noticed yet, and you two present a united front in public, but…"

"Yeah, we need to iron out a few things." He stepped to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He popped open the bottle and downed two pills, than a third. He drank some water. He moved to the bed, sat, removing his shoes. He lay back, exhausted. "I just wanna sleep," he muttered, covering his eyes with the heels of his hands.

Ann smiled. She slipped off her shoes and stretched out next to him, snuggling. "Okay, John. You rest now. You'll feel better tomorrow, I'm certain." She lightly kissed his lips, kissed along his jaw, her fingers stroking his chest. "John," she breathed into his ear, sliding her body along his in clear invitation.

John was snoring, out like a light.


	4. Chapter 4

Stargate Atlantis: Cat's Cradle4

Ronon Dex was sparring. He balanced on the balls of his feet, pivoting and lashing out with the two sticks, his arms a blur of motion with each parry, each thrust. It was like a dance, except it could have been a deadly one if not for the skill of the two fighters and their serious attention so as to not injure each other. The sticks clacked and clattered noisily together, louder and louder and louder still as the two figures were a blur of motion, until a voice interrupted.

"Mama mama mama!"

Teyla Emmagan paused, whacking Ronon's stick out of the way as she whirled gracefully and stepped away from the practice. She smiled. Her infant son Torren was grinning, clumsily waving a small stick of his own. Teyla smiled and stepped to the happy infant. "Yes, Torren. Someday your Uncle Ronon will teach you how to fight."

Ronon smiled, pausing to view mother and child. He lowered the sticks. "As will your mother, I am certain. He looks ready to learn now."

Teyla laughed. She kissed the prattling baby and returned to her friend. "Not quite yet. Shall we?" She held up her two sticks in readiness.

Ronon paused, glancing at the baby again. Losing interest the child was now sucking on one end of the stick, staring round with wide blue eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course. He will be fine. Do you wish to continue?"

Ronon nodded. The two began to circle each other, round and round, sticks knocking into each other as they resumed their mock combat. Teyla's long skirt flowed around her legs, fanning out as she moved with graceful precision. Ronon's bare arms bulged as he hefted the sticks and began to attack, a grin on his face as he was clearly enjoying the challenge. It should have been easy to defeat the smaller woman, but in fact it was very difficult.

The sticks clattered noisily, rising in volume as they made contact repeatedly. The baby clapped, delighted at the noise and the whirling figures of the adults. He began to bang his stick on the floor, trying to match the loud clatter near him. The baby burst into laughter as Ronon suddenly groaned, falling backwards as Teyla deftly hit behind his knee.

Teyla lowered her sticks, suddenly concerned she had hurt her friend. "Ronon?"

"I'm fine!" he growled, scrambling to sit. He grimaced as pain flared in a dull ache from a serious injury he had received months ago. He waited as the pain ebbed to an echo. He rubbed the back of his leg. "You caught me off-guard, is all," he groused.

"Are you certain that is all? I can send for Doctor Beckett or—"

"No! I'm fine! Will you women ever stop coddling me?" His tone made the baby begin to whine. He sighed. "Sorry, Teyla. I'm fine. Truly." He was far from fine, however.

Teyla nodded. She set aside her sticks, moved to gather her son to her arms. The baby clutched at her, frightened by the angry tone of the man. She kissed the child, cuddled him to her. "I think we have had enough for today."

"Yes…I think you are right. Go on. I just need to rest for a moment."

"Very well…if you are sure…" Her gaze roved over the big man but she could see no discernible injury. Yet he appeared to be in pain, and not just physical as every muscle in his big frame was coiled tightly like a snake preparing to strike.

"I am sure! Go and get that kid out of here!" he all but shouted. The baby began to cry in earnest, scared by the big man's loud, angry voice. Ronon swore as Teyla's glare was sharp as a dagger. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to sound like, like…"

"Like a man who needs help but will not ask for it?" Teyla keenly observed. She shook her head and carried her baby out of the room.

Ronon sighed, cursed and rubbed his thigh. He wondered if he would suffer this weakness forever now, if it was a permanent result of his injury. At least it wasn't the worse result. He groaned, moving to his feet and walked, limping a bit until he felt steady on his feet. He dropped the sticks onto the bench and stood, staring out the window at the city of Atlantis floating on the blue ocean.

The windows were tinted here and cast the waters in orange and yellow hues, making it appear more like the dunes of a desert than waves of water. He couldn't hear the ocean waves but he could imagine the soothing sound, and the thought began to calm him.

He hadn't meant to shout at Teyla or the baby. His inward shame would catch him at times and turn outwards. While that could be very useful in battle it was terrible in the city. He rubbed his thigh absently, brooding on the things he lacked, the loss of his indefatigable strength and endurance. He had lost a part of himself, and there were things he couldn't talk about, not to anyone. Not to his friends or his new wife, or even to Sheppard.

Some things were better left in the dark.

He turned, feeling eyes on him. Amelia Banks-Dex was standing in the room, watching him. There was a look of reprimand and concern on her pretty face. She was clad in her standard military BDUs. "I was just practicing," he explained to her unasked question.

Amelia moved to him. Her auburn hair was smoothed back into a bun. She touched his arm, gaze moving along his form before returning to his face. "So Teyla told me, along with shouting and being an ass. Didn't Carson warn you to take it easy for a while?"

"She got in a lucky hit, that's all," he asserted. "And I wasn't an ass. Well…I lost my temper," he was forced to admit.

"And let me guess, you don't want to talk about it," she surmised.

"No." Ronon glanced away from her, uncomfortable. He didn't want to keep things from her. There were just some things he couldn't talk about, not even to his wife. There were some things a woman could never understand, not even a military woman like Amelia.

Amelia sighed. She wasn't surprised by now, but she was disappointed. She moved onto her tip-toes to brush her lips across his. "I knew I married a stubborn man, but I did not want to marry a stupid one."

Ronon frowned, but he couldn't be angry with Amelia for long. Her fingers were playing up and down his bare arm in a deliciously sensual motion, tracing along his tattoo. "You didn't. Just a foolish one. Next time I will spar with you and try not to lose my temper."

"You think you can beat me?" she asked with a smile, relenting for now.

Ronon grinned. "I would love to find out."

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

"Rodney? Rodney!"

"Huh?" Rodney lifted his head from his arms, from the desk where he was slouched. Someone was shaking his shoulder and he blearily eyed the woman, for a moment thinking it was Jennifer Keller. But Jennifer was dead. She had been murdered by Todd during his escape from the city. He blinked, sat up, grimacing at the taste in his mouth. "Oh. Katie."

Katie Brown shook her head. "You fell asleep in your lab again. Here." She handed him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks." Rodney took it, drank. The hot liquid burned through his weariness and made him instantly alert. He suddenly realized he was starving. "I was working all night on that algorithm and I guess I lost track of time. It's not like anyone was waiting for me," he sulked quietly.

Katie patted his shoulder. "I'm sure everyone is anxious to see what you have done. I know how important your work is to you, Rodney. How important it is to the city."

"Yes, it is. It is!" He set the cup aside, running a hand over his face. He felt the stubble on his jaw and chin. "Sorry. I finally finished this. It's morning already? I must look like hell."

Katie smiled. "No. You look rather sexy, actually, Doctor McKay. I'll meet you in the cafeteria for breakfast."

Rodney blinked. He could only nod, startled by the flirtation from the normally reticent botanist. Despite their past they had remained friends, of a sort, and after Jennifer's death he had found himself turning to her just to talk or relax, just as a friend. He watched her leave then turned to drain the cup of coffee, wondering if he was in fact still asleep and dreaming.

"I disagree. You do look like hell."

Rodney turned to see Radek Zelenka approaching, a grin on his face. "Thanks for that, Radek."

"You know, I could have helped you on this besides tracking those two ships and looping our message to the Daedalus and trying to configure a way to contact Earth again."

"I'm doing all that as well, so don't try to sound busier than me," Rodney scolded. "Besides, this encryption had to be triple-coded and inaccessible to everyone but me. Well, John and me. Just in case. I had to add several failsafes and even a self-destruct to protect our location. That's why I was up all night."

"Do you want me to look it over?"

"What? No! It's perfect now! It's perfectly fine!" Rodney argued, taking umbrage at the mere suggestion of needing help. Nevertheless he glanced at the computer where the data was scrolling, equations dancing in front of his eyes even when he looked away from the screen. "Well," he conceded, "I guess you could take a look at the binary code, at least…you might learn something."

Radek rolled his eyes. He adjusted his glasses and took the chair next to his friend. He sniffed. "I have already learned something."

"You have? And what is that?"

"You, my friend, need a shower."


	5. Chapter 5

Stargate Atlantis: Cat's Cradle5

Richard Woolsey folded his hands on the table in the conference room. There was a heavy silence. The overhead lights glinted on his glasses as he glanced at the data pad in front of him before directing his attention back to the military commander. "Exactly what are you proposing?"

John inwardly cursed. He repeated, "a mission to M2XTR3, the planet with the Tower and where we gave the indigenous population the ATA gene therapy. I want to go there first as a test run to see if Rodney can get their city running and to see if any of it is still functional."

"Of course I can get it up and running!" Rodney objected. He thought a moment. "Although the ZPMS were severely depleted and that was several years ago so it might be a tad more difficult. What do you hope to find, John? You think that since more people should be able to operate the city it will be more functional?" he continued, answering his own question. "You think since we ended their monarchial rule they will have been able to initiate more of the systems, given that they have developed a more democratic form of government? You think we could borrow more of their Drones at least, because I seriously doubt the ZPMs would be worth pursuing. Wait, a test run? A test run of what, exactly?"

John waited until the physicist ran out of words. He knew it was only a temporary condition so he quickly said, "yes. Call it a test run."

"A test run? For what?" Rodney repeated, baffled. He wished he had eaten more for breakfast. It was hard to concentrate when John was being deliberately oblique.

"I want you to see if you can get the city to full power. If it's possible to access the star drives to the extent of flying the city," John clarified carefully. He didn't want to reveal too much. He sat forward, barely perched on the chair and folded his hands on the table in front of him.

"What? Why?" Rodney exclaimed.

"Are you suggesting we take their city?" Ronon asked, clearly as confused as Rodney. He glanced round and saw the same confusion on everyone's faces.

"Isn't over half of that city underground?" Richard asked, quickly bringing up the old mission report on his data pad. Quickly he perused the salient points.

"You cannot take their only means of defense against the Wraith," Teyla lectured. A crease appeared between her delicate brows. "They need that city as much as we need ours, and their only defenses are contained in that city."

"What's left of it," John countered. "And no, we are not taking their city," he corrected. Teyla visibly relaxed. "Like I said, it's a test run to see if it is possible. We've engaged the star drives on other cities, but I need to know if it's possible to raise an entire city like Atlantis. Of all of the ones we have encountered this one was the most viable and stable. And we have the best relations with those people." A quick smirk came and went as he recalled some very intimate relations indeed…although it had been merely a bid to obtain power by any means.

Some means were just more pleasant than others.

"You wish to fly it here?" Ronon asked. It was still remarkable to him that this city was in fact a giant spaceship. The wonders of Atlantis never seemed to cease.

"Yes. Theoretically," John said, hedging. "A test run."

"What are the odds you could find another city to fly here? I mean so far all that you have encountered have been remnants and mere ghosts of Atlantis," Richard stated. "Like you said, that one is the only one mostly intact, or at least it was. I've read all of the old mission reports. There are no other cities out there. Are there?"

"There could be," John suggested, rubbing his brow. "In case there are I need to know if we can do it. Besides, we need to shore up our own defenses and our supplies, and salvaging what we can from those other cities is the best way to do it."

"Salvaging? What does that mean?" Ronon asked, but he thought he already knew the answer. Being military he understood the necessity of such actions.

"You cannot mean to take their Drones," Teyla objected, not understanding the necessity. "They need those as much as we do, perhaps even more," she argued.

"Wait, wait, you mean to fly a city here to Atlantis…a sister city? If you can find one? Woolsey's right, the ones we have found so far have been all but worthless to us..." Rodney snapped his fingers several times. "You think I can boost the power levels somehow…initiate systems that maybe untapped, but still I don't think it would be enough to raise the city and fly it here. The power requirements are enormous, as you well know, and we can hardly spare our own ZPMs to even attempt it."

"I know, but if it comes to it we need that secondary defense measure. So we go to that planet and see if it is possible. At the very least we will secure the ZPMs and the Drones and whatever else Atlantis needs." He knew exactly what was needed, what would be taken, but he wasn't about to voice any of that just yet.

"We salvage their supplies and what's left," Ronon stated. "Makes sense."

"Through fair trade, of course," Teyla added, but John was silent. "John? What of the city's inhabitants?"

"What of them? We'll ask nicely." Yet there was a glint of steel in his green eyes that troubled Teyla. It was a rather stern regard that would brook no opposition. She felt a chill, as if she was seeing a side of this man she had never seen, or only briefly glimpsed on occasion.

"And what if they refuse?" Ronon asked, having seen the same, but he expected such from a leader so it didn't upset him.

"That won't be an option."

"John! You cannot just take what you—"

"I can!" John stood. "None of you seems to have grasped the magnitude of the enemy now facing us! If the Daedalus doesn't get here in time we need a back-up plan and this is it. Our priority is to find everything we need to defend Atlantis."

"I agree, colonel, but we can't just go to another planet and take their Ancient technology and their only means of defense," Richard argued.

"Why not? Most of these people don't know how to use it anyway, or even begin to understand it and probably just like the shiny bright lights."

"John! That is unfair to the people of this galaxy! Your ATA gene does not make you the master of Ancient technology!" Teyla argued warmly, so warmly her cheeks were flushing.

"Doesn't it?" John asked mildly, eliciting a gasp from Rodney of all people. The flash of hubris was unexpected and unsettling. "I'm talking about survival here, Teyla. And you damn well know that if Atlantis falls the rest of the galaxy will fall with it. We are the only ones who can begin to stand against this new threat! The Coalition is useless, the Genii are incompetent, and even the Wraith want our help against them! Doesn't that tell you something? This city is all that stands between annihilation and survival. This city and others like it!"

"You've already found one." Rodney pointed at his friend. "Haven't you? Despite the fact that you were almost king on that planet you want to go back to take whatever they have left. Because this test run is just that, a test run because you have found another planet, another city that is buried or forgotten, haven't you? How did you find one? I've been looking for years but there is nothing in the data files or the records that I could find! It's either been buried or expunged or, or encrypted! There are no other cities!"

John glanced at Rodney. It was difficult to keep the physicist in the dark for long. "It doesn't matter how. And no, I won't divulge that intel yet. First we have our test run and then go from there."

"How did you find it?" Rodney repeated, shaking his head. "There's no record of the other cities and certainly no list and I've studied the Stargate network and there's not a clue there unless you…you..."

"Yes," John confirmed, seeing he had no other option or Rodney would not let it go. "The city told me."

"And you believe the city?" Ronon asked, skeptical.

John glanced at him. "Yes. She wants to survive as much as we do."

"She?" Rodney mocked.

"Enough!" John slammed his palm onto the table, making the monitors jump. His headache was returning. "This mission is a go! We're going and so are Reynolds and his team. Get your gear and meet me in the 'Gate room in fifteen!" Before anyone could protest or react John strode out of the room, unaccountably furious. He neglected to get Richard's approval or permission.

He didn't need it. He didn't need anyone's permission when it came to military matters.

The city agreed with him and that was all the consent that he needed.

Richard cleared his throat. "Well, I guess that is settled. See if it is possible. If the colonel has indeed located another city, and if it is not inhabited than we could very well use the additional firepower and strength to defend ourselves."

"The city told him. What does that mean?" Ronon asked, shaking his head.

"He found a data base that even I haven't been able to access!" Rodney remarked, both impressed and jealous. "How the hell did he do that? I always knew there had to be a network of Ancient cities, like the network of Stargates but over ten thousand years that much can't be left, can there? Ultimately the power levels would be depleted or just fall into decay from neglect."

"Or the Wraith would have destroyed them," Ronon noted.

"Evidently he found something that convinced him that a city is out there that may prove useful to us," Richard said, shrugging. "If this new city is uninhabited we should be able to salvage the Drones and ZPMS and maybe even fly the whole thing to us here."

"And if it is inhabited?" Teyla challenged.

There was an uncomfortable silence.


End file.
